Boombox 360: Which Xbox streaming service rocks harder?

Ars compares features to find out if Rhapsody or Xbox Music is right for you.

The Xbox 360 is one of the bestselling game consoles in history. It has successfully become the living room companion it is today by transforming itself from a one-trick console into an all-inclusive streaming media set-top box. No longer do you need a beefed-up stereo system or high-priced Blu-ray player to dial premium entertainment into your home—you can simply use the Xbox 360 and a few subscriptions to your favorite services.

Those service offerings include Microsoft's Xbox Music pass for $9.99 a month, a re-imagined version of the company’s Zune brand that allows you to stream millions of songs to a PC, Xbox, or Windows Phone. Up until recently, Xbox Music was one of the only music streaming services available to Xbox 360 users, but that has changed now: Rhapsody has also entered the scene. The third-party service offers some of the same features as Xbox Music, but it's free with an Xbox Live Gold subscription or $9.99 for users who wish to utilize the service on other devices.

Xbox Music and Rhapsody are the only two streaming music services currently available that actually allow you to curate your own music libraries and playlists. We're going to take a look at both to see if they're worth the monthly commitment.

Playing music

Enlarge/ The Rhapsody start page features links to newly released music and popular hits.

As soon as Rhapsody starts up, it defaults to a start page with a slide that cycles through the most listened to artists, tracks, and albums. From here, users can decide whether or not to search for an artist or go straight to a playlist by moving the analog stick to the left or right.

On Xbox Music, the front panel displays new music, top artists, and top songs. There are also featured artists and songs plus options for search or genres, the latter of which allows you to start a radio station based on a specific type of music. Moving to the left or right gives you the ability to access your playlists, create new ones, access "pinned" artists and albums, or start a Smart DJ or VJ playlist. There's also a Recommended panel, which lets you seek out new music.

Both Rhapsody and Xbox Music offer expansive libraries of music: the former boasts 16 million songs, while the latter claims a catalog of about 18 million. We put these numbers to the test to see whether one could outperform the other by delving into our own slightly obscure library of music—and by obscure, we mean music not usually featured on the radio.

While searching for electronic music, both services recognized the band Tesla Boy, but only Xbox Music offered their latest single, which was released this year. Rhapsody listed an EP that surfaced in 2011 as the group's latest album. In other instances, Rhapsody offered more releases, as with the indie band Geographer. While Xbox Music only went as far back as the trio's second album, Rhapsody offered Geographer's first release.

For hip-hop enthusiasts, both Rhapsody and Xbox Music sought out even the most obscure compilations. Head bangers, on the other hand, will appreciate that both music services offer access to the entire discography of their favorite Nordic metal band, Korpiklaani. In this use case, both music services delivered thorough results, and though Xbox Music offered access to the band's latest song, Rhapsody had the most thorough catalog.

With both music services, you can decide whether to play a whole artist's discography, their most popular tracks, or fire up a specific album. Rhapsody also saves your most recent searches for artists, albums, or tracks, which can be helpful for quickly accessing artists, but it's slightly useless when it archives searches with typos. Xbox Music executes this a bit better by allowing you to “pin” specific artists for easier access.

Rhapsody music subscribers will need to curate their playlists via the browser or desktop client before they can play anything from their library on the Xbox. They can also flip to the left panel on each artist's page to find similar music. Conversely, Xbox Music offers the ability to start a new playlist and actually add tracks and albums to it from the console with just a few clicks rather than doing so from the computer.

On the radio

Discovering new music is essential to keeping that library of music continually growing. Finding that music can be tough, but it’s a little easier with Xbox Music. The service offers a feature called Smart DJ, which automatically generates a playlist based on an album, song, or artist. How well it picks music that matches your favorite genre depends entirely on how well-established the artist is, however. Even still, it did a much better job with this than Rhapsody did.

Enlarge/ Rhapsody offers a pre-populated list of available radio stations.

With smaller, lesser-known artists, Rhapsody created playlists that sometimes felt disconnected. We set the Radio function to Grum, a UK-based electronic DJ. Rhapsody followed suit with a Missy Elliot song—but the two genres are nothing alike. (Xbox Music did a better job on Smart DJ with the same artist, playing only music that matched the genre.)

Both music services did much better with well-known artists. When starting a radio station with Ellie Goulding and Rx Bandits, both Xbox Music and Rhapsody followed through with tracks that properly represented both styles of music. Ellie Goulding was followed by Marina and the Diamonds, another semi-electronic, pop music singer, while Rx Bandits was trailed by a plethora of ska bands and pop punk acts.

Rhapsody and Xbox Music also offer the ability to scroll through each artist's page for other bands or musicians that sound alike. Xbox even links to other bands, record companies, and producers who are associated within each artist's biography.

Each artist's bio page features clickable links to discover other artists or producers who are associated.

Kinect-abilities

One of the nicer features of both Rhapsody and Xbox Music is that they both work with Xbox's Kinect, a sold-separately motion sensor gadget that allows you to control the console with hand movements and simple voice commands. This particular functionality is beneficial for users who might be in a situation where they can't get to the controller to shuffle through songs or launch a different playlist. It's just a neat way to interact with the console.

Rhapsody's Kinect screen asks you to say "play 1" or "play 2" to select different tiles.

Depending on how close the Kinect is to the speaker, it can understand commands at a normal voice level, even with the music playing. It also helps if the environment surrounding it isn't too rowdy—the commanding voice tends to get drowned out by the commotion behind it. To bring up the Kinect menu, just say "Xbox!" and a menu will pop up below the screen. Text is overlaid on each tile with the available commands.

In Rhapsody, you're limited to very basic commands to navigate only the tiles available on each screen. Each tile is designated a number; you can simply call out, "Xbox, Play 1!" to select the tile that is labeled with the number one. When it comes to searching for a particular artist, you have to pick up the controller and sift through the various letters and symbols or use the gestures feature. The search function doesn't yet recognize voice input.

Xbox Music's connect functionality actually enables you to use actual phrases, rather than refer to each tile.

Xbox Music has the advantage with Kinect functionality because it's deeply linked into the console's system, so you can perform a voice search within Bing from the application or the Home page. When voice commands are used, it will show actual phrases and commands rather than designated numbers for each tile. This makes the experience feel more unified than Rhapsody's numbered tiles.

While Xbox Music offers better Kinect functionality because of its native integration, Rhapsody's isn't too far behind. At least the capabilities are there.

Conclusion

For music lovers who don’t normally shuffle through songs and are eager to discover new music, Xbox Music is worth the monthly commitment. It’s also especially useful for those who primarily utilize a Windows PC or Windows Phone, because the service works across those devices. Xbox Music also offers video playlists with a monthly subscription, which could be useful for those who are actually interested in "music" television.

On the other hand, Rhapsody on the Xbox is free with a Live Gold subscription and it comes with a massive library of music, plus the ability to curate playlists online. This will appeal to more finicky music lovers who aren't too interested in music discovery. The added benefit of a paid subscription to Rhapsody is that it also works on Android, iOS, and Windows Phone, so cross-platform users shouldn't have to feel like they will be tied down to Microsoft's ecosystem.

Both services are solid in their own right, as they both offer gigantic music catalogs and Kinect functionality. But it entirely depends on the ecosystem you're willing to bind to. Those looking to live in an all-Microsoft world might find Xbox Music better suits their needs, but sticking with a third-party service like Rhapsody affords the freedom to move between platforms and take your music with you as you go.

Florence Ion
Florence was a former Reviews Editor at Ars, with a focus on Android, gadgets, and essential gear. She received a degree in journalism from San Francisco State University and lives in the Bay Area.

26 Reader Comments

Xbox Music is a decent service rendered almost unusable by an amazingly bad user interface. The selection is fine, but the overall design fits in well with Microsoft's new "lets completely discard all the progress we've made over the years on UI design" philosophy.

If these services require an Xbox Live Gold subscription, then it should be specified in the article as an additional cost. Those unfamiliar with how Xbox Live functions will approach it with an "Oh, this will only cost me $10/mo!" When in reality there's a separate $60/yr charge on top of that.

It’s also especially useful for those who primarily utilize a Windows PC or Windows Phone

I believe this should actually say Windows 8 PC, because AFAIK, the service is only available on that platform.

An Xbox Music Pass is recognized as a Zune Pass in the Zune PC software on a Windows 7 PC or Windows Phone 7 phone, and you can access any music you want. The same service exists for Windows 7 and Windows Phone 7; it just has a different name and a differently-arranged user interface.

I have a Zune/Xbox Pass and it is recognized by both my personal Windows 8 machines in the Xbox Music software and my office's Windows 7 desktop in the Zune software.

It’s also especially useful for those who primarily utilize a Windows PC or Windows Phone

I believe this should actually say Windows 8 PC, because AFAIK, the service is only available on that platform.

An Xbox Music Pass is recognized as a Zune Pass in the Zune PC software on a Windows 7 PC or Windows Phone 7 phone, and you can access any music you want. The same service exists for Windows 7 and Windows Phone 7; it just has a different name and a differently-arranged user interface.

I have a Zune/Xbox Pass and it is recognized by both my personal Windows 8 machines in the Xbox Music software and my office's Windows 7 desktop in the Zune software.

Good to know. I have a free month on xbox music right now, but didn't know the zune app could use it just the same. I actually noticed bing rewards can get you free xbox music subscriptions as well (if you can get 900 points per month, daily searching per month only nets about 450)

Thanks for this Florence. It's actually a treat to see a straight-up treatment of Xbox Music (nee Zune) (and the Xbox as an entertainment platform with alternative services like Rhapsody). So often sites either ignore Microsoft's music and video offerings altogether or lace their coverage with a snarkiness refreshingly absent from your article.

Good to know. I have a free month on xbox music right now, but didn't know the zune app could use it just the same. I actually noticed bing rewards can get you free xbox music subscriptions as well (if you can get 900 points per month, daily searching per month only nets about 450)

The Zune and Xbox Music services share a common music catalog, and your Music Pass subscription conveys rights to use either service to stream and download subscription music.

While related, they are not entirely convergent, however. Music Pass content downloaded via Zune can usually be played back by any media player on your PC; while content downloaded via Xbox Music will only play back in Xbox Music.

Xbox Music is also far more cloud-connected than Zune. Zune has no concept of Xbox Music's "Cloud Music Collection"--a master library or playlist that you manage in the cloud that is automatically reflected on all of your devices. Xbox Music also lets you configure your devices to automatically download any music that you have downloaded elsewhere, a neat trick.

Nonetheless, if you use a mix of Windows 8 and Windows 7 devices, or WP7 and WP8, your single Music Pass subscription conveys download and streaming rights on all these platforms via the appropriate software, as well as the Xbox console.

Hey Ars! The XBOX is one of the WORST audio devices on the market today, regardless of what app you use! Try comparing the sound quality (even with HDMI or toslink out!) to a PS3 or other media device! IT IS DREADFUL! Really! Go listen, I would be interested to hear what you guys think!

Hey Ars! The XBOX is one of the WORST audio devices on the market today, regardless of what app you use! Try comparing the sound quality (even with HDMI or toslink out!) to a PS3 or other media device! IT IS DREADFUL! Really! Go listen, I would be interested to hear what you guys think!

It's no worse than Sony's service or anything on another device. I have both the PS3 and 360 and don't really notice a difference in overall quality (Klipsch Reference + Denon AVR3310 via HDMI from both consoles). I realize ultimate sound quality can be observed objectively but to most this will be a subjective experience. Most would also think your opinion is a bit on the hyperbolic side, myself included.

Is SmartGlass supported by Xbox Music? I'm interested in ways SmartGlass can be used by the system, but it seems most apps, including Microsoft ones (looking at you, SkyDrive), don't offer any extra compatibility beyond using your phone like a glorified controller.

If these services require an Xbox Live Gold subscription, then it should be specified in the article as an additional cost. Those unfamiliar with how Xbox Live functions will approach it with an "Oh, this will only cost me $10/mo!" When in reality there's a separate $60/yr charge on top of that.

That charge only exists for streaming media *through the Xbox* (whether it be Netflix, Xbox Music, or Hulu Plus). You don't need an Xbox Gold membership to use Xbox Music on your PC and phone. And with a PC hooked up to external speakers, you can fill your apartment or house with music just fine with Xbox Music, without ever getting an Xbox Gold membership.

Also, if you buy by the year instead of by the month, it's $100/year ($8/month).

If these services require an Xbox Live Gold subscription, then it should be specified in the article as an additional cost. Those unfamiliar with how Xbox Live functions will approach it with an "Oh, this will only cost me $10/mo!" When in reality there's a separate $60/yr charge on top of that.

That charge only exists for streaming media *through the Xbox* (whether it be Netflix, Xbox Music, or Hulu Plus). You don't need an Xbox Gold membership to use Xbox Music on your PC and phone.

When the article is comparing music services on the Xbox, then I think it's fair to mention that you need to pay for Xbox Gold.

If these services require an Xbox Live Gold subscription, then it should be specified in the article as an additional cost. Those unfamiliar with how Xbox Live functions will approach it with an "Oh, this will only cost me $10/mo!" When in reality there's a separate $60/yr charge on top of that.

That charge only exists for streaming media *through the Xbox* (whether it be Netflix, Xbox Music, or Hulu Plus). You don't need an Xbox Gold membership to use Xbox Music on your PC and phone.

When the article is comparing music services on the Xbox, then I think it's fair to mention that you need to pay for Xbox Gold.

But ALL streaming media services on the Xbox require Xbox Gold, so it's not a mark against one service or the other. There are a lot of costs that both services require: an Xbox console, a TV, an internet connection, and Xbox Gold. But these costs are identical for both services (or any streaming media service via Xbox).

I was just making the point that Xbox Gold subscription is not otherwise required for Xbox Music (i.e., for people who listen via PCs instead of via Xboxes), since there was a possibility of confusion due to the names.

But ALL streaming media services on the Xbox require Xbox Gold, so it's not a mark against one service or the other. There are a lot of costs that both services require: an Xbox console, a TV, an internet connection, and Xbox Gold. But these costs are identical for both services (or any streaming media service via Xbox).

I was just making the point that Xbox Gold subscription is not otherwise required for Xbox Music (i.e., for people who listen via PCs instead of via Xboxes), since there was a possibility of confusion due to the names.

Is SmartGlass supported by Xbox Music? I'm interested in ways SmartGlass can be used by the system, but it seems most apps, including Microsoft ones (looking at you, SkyDrive), don't offer any extra compatibility beyond using your phone like a glorified controller.

It is. I was listening to an album on my surface today and decided to check out the "play on xbox" feature. It launched smart glass and queued up the currently playing song (instead of the entire album in now playing, wtf?). It basically gives you artist bio, albums, album info, related, etc. Its the same details you get when you view artist/album info in Zune or on the Xbox.

Thanks for this Florence. It's actually a treat to see a straight-up treatment of Xbox Music (nee Zune) (and the Xbox as an entertainment platform with alternative services like Rhapsody). So often sites either ignore Microsoft's music and video offerings altogether or lace their coverage with a snarkiness refreshingly absent from your article.

I have to agree. I rarely pay attention to the writer anymore, but from at least this article- I like Florence. Straight and to the point, comparing the services.

No snarky anti-Xbox or Pro-xbox headlines or comments throughout. Not trying to incite a PS3 vs 360 riot in the comments section.

I'm feeling a little lost. When I signed up for a rhapsody account there seems to be no option to simply enter the activation code the my Xbox is displaying. The rhapsody site wants me to choose a paid for plan. How to get to the free musics?

I'm feeling a little lost. When I signed up for a rhapsody account there seems to be no option to simply enter the activation code the my Xbox is displaying. The rhapsody site wants me to choose a paid for plan. How to get to the free musics?

There isn't a free option. The article is misleading. You have to have a paid or "free trial" account with Rhapsody AND an Xbox Live Gold account to use Rhapsody on your Xbox.

I only played with this briefly, due to frustration, so correct me if I'm wrong.

I have a Nokia Lumia 920 with Windows Phone 9, and I'm currently on my 30 day trial of XBOX Music. (I also have a gold sub on my xBox).

I could not play music from my device to the xbox and I could not get anything more than a glorified cursor out of the SmartGlass app when trying to play music on the tv.If you are streaming a song on the phone, from xBox music, you can send to xBox, but it just opens a broken IE link on the console.If you are playing a downloaded song on the phone, from xBox music, you do not get the send to xBox option.

This is annoying.

My bigger complaint is that none of the stuff I've downloaded or played on my phone show up on the xBox. Under My Collection on the xBox, I have nothing.

Oh, it's also worth mentioning that my phone's My Collection section is full of songs that I have on my PC (Windows 8 Pro) even though I did not sync them to my device. It's kinda annoying since streaming all the time is risky on a capped data connection, but it's still neat that it looked at everything for me and lists it on the phone. I'm fairly certain this would be useless on the phone without the xBox Music subscription.

Now, here is how I expected SmartGlass to work, and why I'm so disapointed with it and MS right now.I have a Windows 8 PC, I have a Windows 8 Phone, and I have an xBox. I also have their music subscription service. When I play a song on my phone it should show up in recently played on the xBox. When I download a new song on my pc (from the sub), it should show up in the New section on the xBox. If I pull up a song on my phone I should be a couple button presses away from it starting to play on my tv.

I should NOT need a controller to change songs or video on my xbox anymore.

If I want to play a song on the tv that I haven't played yet, I should be able to search for it on the phone and send it there, OR when I open SmartGlass and pull up xBox Music, it should let me search with a keyboard on the phone, not the god awful horizontal one line keystring on the screen.

When I start Netflix or Youtube on the xBox, and open SmartGlass on my phone, I should be able to scroll through videos on the phone, and when I click play it pulls it up on the tv. I should be able to que up what's next, or at the minimum use a keyboard on my phone.

But none of that. I don't know if I've experienced ANY ecosystem benefit from going full MS. I really expected when to have a better experience with my xBox and my WP8 device than I did with my xBox and my iPhones 4s... but nope, nothing, no advantage. I'm kind of annoyed and hoping I'm just missing stuff due to the new interface. ( like the Video Store I just can't happen to find on my phone )

When I start Netflix or Youtube on the xBox, and open SmartGlass on my phone, I should be able to scroll through videos on the phone, and when I click play it pulls it up on the tv. I should be able to que up what's next, or at the minimum use a keyboard on my phone.

Yeah, I'm a bit dissapointed with the poor SmartGlass integration at the moment (I would assume Netflix, at least, will come up with something eventually). Playing Xbox Video works as you'd expect (play the title from your phone, get player controls on your phone, etc).

For what it's worth, I noticed that you can link the YouTube app to your mobile device. If you have the YouTube app open on both your Xbox and phone, you can pick the videos on your phone and they will play on your TV. Annoyingly, this is not integrated with SmartGlass at all, so you still need to use a second app for general Xbox control.

(I use Android, so I'm only assuming this all works on WP8 the same way.)

I'm feeling a little lost. When I signed up for a rhapsody account there seems to be no option to simply enter the activation code the my Xbox is displaying. The rhapsody site wants me to choose a paid for plan. How to get to the free musics?

There isn't a free option. The article is misleading. You have to have a paid or "free trial" account with Rhapsody AND an Xbox Live Gold account to use Rhapsody on your Xbox.

QFT.

I spent a good 15 mins trying to figure out how to activate what I, mistakenly, thought was a free Rhapsody account, given my per-existing XBL membership. But as others have noted, the "free" part of Rhapsody on XBOX is that there's no additional charge to you for using Rhapsody on your XBOX if you already have paid subscriptions to both XBL and Rhapsody. Hopes dashed =[